Limited Editions - simephotography

Simon Painter is a photographic artist based in Surrey with a fascination for light, texture and movement.

Moving the camera whilst shooting can change the focus of an image from the objects in the scene, to the light between those objects. It's also possible to manipulate and distort objects to create atmosphere and beauty. "My work is not a representation of reality but uses the world around me as a brush with which to create new images."

"I try to create a sense of movement in all my images. My urban landscapes reflect hectic city life but the ethereal soft nature of the pictures also represents more of the non physical side to our lives such as thoughts, emotions and dreams."

Limited Editions

Cone
This is one of my favourite shots. It was taken back in 2014 on an October morning. The sun was spilling through the trees and creating the wonderful golden colour. I rotated the camera to capture the various tones of colour and contrast and a line formed where I stopped. It looks like a you are looking down on a cone to me, hence the name but others also see a tunnel. I think of these rotational shots as a like a “light lathe” where the scene is cutting many concentric circles into the image.
Waves
Whilst staying in Crete the weather changed. A storm was brewing and the sea started to become more and more turbulent. I stood for ages chasing the waves into shore from a bit of the beach that allowed me to look sideways along the surf. This was my favourite shot of the many I took. I was really happy with how it captures the texture and movement of the sea and the brooding skies overhead. It’s amazing how nature can change from something idyllic and gentle to remind us just how powerful it really is.

Dandelions On The Lawn
“Dandelions On The Lawn” as the name suggests was taken on my lawn. The delicate dandelion seed heads are a marvel of nature and I wanted to accentuate their shape by rotating the camera around the centre of a particularly pristine example on the lawn. It was important to capture a moment of stillness so that we could see the dandelions and the grass but then, with movement, we get the rings of light around the centre. I finally arrived at this colour in the processing stage which I felt accentuated the textures and created a calm and tranquil mood for the image. There is beauty and wonder in even the simplest of things.
Fractal Leaves
In November the leaves have fallen and lay on the ground in varying shades of greens, yellows and oranges. I wanted to capture this colourful mosaic. To accentuate the texture I rotated the camera and zoomed my lens at the same time but in a stepped motion so that it would print the scene at each stop. I was really excited with the result which reminded me of a complex fractal pattern.

Warm
This clearing was full of warm March sunshine and the rich colours really seemed to herald the start of warmer weather. I’m always fascinated by the vertical lines created by trees and in this shot I wanted to try and merge their contact with the earth as, to me, they are very much part of this planet we happen to inhabit. We seem so full of ourselves with our technology and “advanced civilisation” yet the trees still survive without having to leave a trail of destruction behind them! Who is more advanced?

Green Morning
Walking in The Bourne Woods in April I was overwhelmed by the vibrancy of the green colour of the woodland floor. The tall dark trunks of the pines offered a wonderful contrast. A splash of morning sunlight finished off what was a breath-taking scene. I used vertical camera movement to isolate this contrast of colours and to take the focus away from the complex textures of the subject. I love the way that with this technique I can really bring attention to certain aspects that strike me about the world around me.